Practical advice about parent care

Your response to our "Trading Places" series has been extraordinary. More than 5,400 of you have sent in letters or photographs telling your own very personal stories. Others have offered advice gleaned from their own experiences caring for an aging parent.

Some of the letters are quite tender -- others have been angry. Some have been very funny -- and many, many have been heartbreaking. More than one letter has prompted many of us to pick up the phone and check in with our own parents -- those of us lucky enough to still have them around.

In reading all these stories, some common questions have emerged; when to take the keys away from an older parent who shouldn't be driving any more? How to find trustworthy help for your folks when you live hundreds of miles away? And where to turn if they need -- but you can't afford -- residential care, such as a nursing home or assisted living facility?

We've asked NBC News Chief Medical Editor Dr. Nancy Snyderman to join us tonight with some practical advice to help answer some of these questions.

Later this afternoon, we'll post some links in our special "Trading Places" section -- resources you can use and places to go for more information on everything from Alzheimer's disease to Zoloft and other medications used to treat depression.

The most important thing to know is that in caring for an aging parent, you need not be alone. There is help out there, and in the coming months we plan to bring you more "Trading Places" stories that will show you where to find it.